British Party Suspends Anti-War Lawmaker

A member of Parliament who urged British soldiers to refuse to fight in the Iraq war was suspended Tuesday from the governing Labor Party.

George Galloway, a longtime opponent of Western policy in the Middle East, would remain suspended pending internal party investigations, Labor general-secretary David Triesman said.

During the suspension, Galloway may not attend Labor meetings or represent the party but will still represent his Glasgow, Scotland, constituency in the House of Commons.

Galloway called the suspension "completely unjust."

The fiery left-wing legislator, who was pelted with eggs Monday while addressing a May Day rally in Glasgow, is suing a newspaper that accused him of accepting money from Saddam Hussein's regime.

Last month, The Daily Telegraph said it had found documents in Baghdad's looted Foreign Ministry detailing financial ties between Galloway and Saddam's government. The Christian Science Monitor also alleged he had taken money from Saddam.

Galloway denies accepting money from the former Iraqi regime and has said he is the victim of "a deliberate campaign of forgery and deception."

Triesman said the suspension stemmed from his wartime comments, not to the allegations. A Labor spokesman said the party had received complaints that Galloway had brought "the Labor Party into disrepute by behavior that is prejudicial or grossly detrimental to the party."

In a March 28 interview with Abu Dhabi television, Galloway urged Arab nations to "stand by the Iraqi people," and for British soldiers to refuse to fight.

The statements brought calls for Galloway's expulsion from the Labor Party. A tabloid newspaper accused him of treason.

Galloway has long been a thorn in the side of Prime Minister Tony Blair's government. He campaigned to end the sanctions imposed on Iraq after its 1990 invasion of Kuwait, founding a charity to help Iraqi child victims of sanctions. Charity officials are investigating whether Galloway misused money from the charity, the Mariam Appeal.

Galloway, who has a penchant for expensive suits and Cuban cigars, is adept at gaining publicity for his causes. He once drove a red double-decker bus from London to Baghdad, and was given a hero's welcome by tens of thousands of Iraqis.